Incidence Of Poisoning Research Articles

Demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings of mushroom-poisoned patients in Kermanshah province, west of Iran.

BackgroundMushroom poisoning can cause gastrointestinal, renal, and hepatic symptoms and even death. This descriptive study examined the demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings of patients with fungal poisoning, a type of fungus causing the poisoning, and the incidence and mortality rates of fungal poisoning in Kermanshah province, western Iran, from 2014 to 2018.MethodsThe medical records of 193 patients with mushroom poisoning from 2014 to 2018 were evaluated. The liver and kidney function tests, electrolytes, abdominal and pelvic ultrasound, chest x-ray, coagulation tests, and coagulation factors (fibrinogen, prothrombin) were assessed. Data were collected from the medical records of patients admitted to the Poisoning Center of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran using a researcher-made checklist. Data were analyzed by SPSS (version 16) using descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, and frequency distribution tables. Trend analysis for proportion was done by chi-square statistics in STATA-14 software (ptrend command).ResultsOf cases, ‌51.3% were male, 92.6% were city dwellers, 38.3% were aged 21–40 years, and 92.5% were poisoned during the spring. The fungus that caused poisoning was Amanita virosa. The gastrointestinal, nervous, and visual systems were the most common systems involved. The most common gastrointestinal symptoms included nausea and vomiting (72.0%) and abdominal pain (71.0%). Vertigo (11.9%) and headache (9.3%) were the most common neurological symptoms. The most common visual manifestation was blurred vision (7.8%). Of cases, 23.7% had metabolic acidosis. The increased alkaline phosphatase level was the most common liver disorder in 98.7% of the cases. Increased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels were also reported in 21.0% and 17.7% of the cases, respectively. The serum lactic dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase levels also increased in 99.3% and 30.2% of the patients, respectively. The mortality rate was 1.6% (n = 3).ConclusionThe fungal poisoning diagnosis should always be considered in young patients referred to the emergency department with gastrointestinal complaints, a history of consuming wild self-picked mushrooms, and high liver and kidney test values. Since most fungal poisonings occur in the spring, it is necessary to inform the community of the dangers of consuming self-picked wild mushrooms, especially in this season.

REVIEW ON CYANIDE POISONING

Cyanide is one of the most lethal poison. It leads to death within a few minutes to a few hours sometimes. Depending upon the dose and route of administration or exposure the symptoms develop. The area of exposure is manufacturing and industrial sources such as insecticides, photographic solution, fumigation and electroplating work, plastic manufacturing and jewelry cleaners etc. History shows the common use of cyanide poisoning in suicidal and homicidal cases and also use as chemical warfare agent for terrorist attack. Incidence of cyanide poisoning is rare but the occurrence of death is seen instant in some cases. It causes histotoxic anoxia and inhibits oxidative phosphorylation, a process where oxygen is utilized for the production of essential cellular energy sources in the form of ATP. It does so by binds to the enzyme cytochrome C oxidase and blocks mitochondrial transport chain. This results in cellular hypoxia and the depletion of ATP occur, leading to metabolic acidosis. Symptoms such as headache, dizziness, vertigo, spasmodic closure of jaw and clawing of hands, tonic type of convulsions of the limb and trunk, muscular weakness and flaccidity, muscular paralysis, intense cyanosis, hypertension followed by hypotension, coma etc leads to death. Death is mainly due to cardiovascular failure and respiratory failure. Thus, rapid treatment to be started in such patients. The 100 % oxygen support and rapid therapy of antidotal treatment is necessary for life saving. Very efficient antidote is Hydroxocobalamin and other antidotes are also important in cyanide poisoning in the treatment as life saver. Survivors of cyanide poisoning may develop neuropathies.

High lead exposure and clinical signs of toxicosis in wild Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) from a World Heritage site: Lake St Lucia estuarine system, South Africa.

Lead (Pb) exposure is a widespread wildlife conservation threat, but impacts on reptile populations remain poorly documented. In this study, we examined Pb exposure and accumulation in a wild population of Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) at Lake St Lucia, South Africa. Recreational angling has occurred in the area since the 1930s and incidental ingestion of Pb fishing weights has previously been identified as a major source of Pb poisoning in the local crocodile population. In 2019, we sampled blood and tail fat tissues from wild (n=22) and captive (n=3) crocodiles at Lake St Lucia to investigate potential impacts of chronic Pb exposure on crocodilian health. Lead was detected in blood samples of all wild crocodiles, although concentrations varied widely between individuals (86-13,100ngml-1). The incidence of Pb poisoning was higher in male crocodiles, with mean blood lead (BPb) concentrations in males (3780±4690ngml-1) significantly (p<0.001) higher compared to females (266±230ngml-1). Blood Pb concentrations were correlated with concentrations measured in tail fat tissue (n.d - 4175ngg-1 wet wt.). Although most of the crocodiles sampled appeared to be in good physical condition, highly elevated BPb concentrations (>6000ngml-1) were associated with markedly suppressed packed cell volumes (4.6-10.8%) and severe deterioration in tooth condition. These findings suggest that anaemia and tooth loss may be clinical signs of long-term environmental exposure to Pb. Although previously undocumented in crocodilians, these symptoms are consistent with Pb poisoning observed in birds and mammals, and suggest that crocodilians may be more susceptible to the long-term toxic effects of Pb than previously thought. In light of these findings, we suggest that the impact of accumulated Pb on crocodilian fitness, reproduction and mortality requires urgent attention.

Opioid poisoning during pregnancy: prevalence, characteristics, and neonatal outcomes

While it has been postulated that opioid poisoning during pregnancy may cause adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, the harm associated with opioid poisoning during pregnancy has not been robustly examined. Pregnant women admitted to hospital or presenting to the emergency department (ED) in Western Australia (WA) with a diagnosis of opioid poisoning were identified by linking state midwifery records with hospital and ED administrative data. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared with opioid poisoning that occurred in the 12 months prior to conception or the 12 months following birth. Between 2003 and 2018, 57 neonates were born to women who had experienced opioid poisoning during pregnancy (14.1 per 100,000 births) in WA. The incidence of opioid poisoning in the year prior to pregnancy (IRR: 3.04, 95%CI: 2.30, 4.02) and the year following pregnancy (IRR: 1.96, 95%CI: 1.46, 2.64) was significantly higher than during pregnancy. Opioid poisoning during pregnancy was less likely to involve multiple substances and be intentional (rather than accidental). Neonatal conditions associated with in utero hypoxia were significantly less common in neonates born to women who experience opioid poisoning prior to pregnancy compared with during pregnancy (OR: 0.17, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.80). Opioid poisoning in pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of other serious adverse neonatal outcomes. Opioid poisoning during pregnancy is uncommon and less likely to be intentional and involve multiple substances. Opioid poisoning during pregnancy is likely associated with an increased risk of conditions associated with in utero hypoxia.

Automatic Mushroom Species Classification Model for Foodborne Disease Prevention Based on Vision Transformer

Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing structure of certain fungi, produced by a group of mycelia and buried in a substratum. Mushrooms are classified as edible, medicinal, and poisonous. However, many poisoning incidents occur yearly by consuming wild mushrooms. Thousands of poisoning incidents are reported each year globally, and 80% of these are from unidentified species of mushrooms. Mushroom poisoning is one of the most serious food safety issues worldwide. Motivated by this problem, this study uses an open-source mushroom dataset and employs several data augmentation approaches to decrease the probability of model overfitting. We propose a novel deep learning pipeline (ViT-Mushroom) for mushroom classification using the Vision Transformer large network (ViT-L/32). We compared the performance of our method against that of a convolutional neural network (CNN). We visualized the high-dimensional outputs of the ViT-L/32 model to achieve the interpretability of ViT-L/32 using the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) method. The results show that ViT-L/32 is the best on the testing dataset, with an accuracy score of 95.97%. These results surpass previous approaches in reducing intraclass variability and generating well-separated feature embeddings. The proposed method is a promising deep learning model capable of automatically classifying mushroom species, helping wild mushroom consumers avoid eating toxic mushrooms, safeguarding food safety, and preventing public health incidents of food poisoning. The results will offer valuable resources for food scientists, nutritionists, and the public health sector regarding the safety and quality of mushrooms.

Incidence of Food Poisoning Outbreaks in Pahang, Malaysia, for Six-Year, from 2013 to 2018

The Food Safety and Quality Division (FSQD) in Malaysia is the competent authority tasked with ensuring food safety throughout the food supply chain within the country. Despite implementing various regulations toward improving food hygiene standards in Malaysia, outbreaks of food poisoning cases continued to occur in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was designed to explore the occurrence of food poisoning incidents in Malaysia, within the Pahang state, from 2013 to 2018 via both reported passive case detection (PCD) and active case detection (ACD) food poisoning incidents. Upon detecting all the food poisoning cases using both PCD and ACD, the people identified to have suffered from food poisoning underwent a structured interview for investigators to elicit all relevant information about the food poisoning incident. Results showed that in Pahang, the number of reported episodes fluctuated from 2013 until 2018, with an average of 21 food poisoning episodes occurring yearly, reaching a maximum in August and a minimum in May. Furthermore, Kuantan, being the state capital, had reported an exceptionally high total number of reported incidents of food poisoning with a total of 48 episodes over six years from 2013 to 2018, while Kuala Lipis had only one incident reported during the same period (which was reported in 2016). Finally, this study concluded that adequate measures must always be taken to minimise the occurrence of food poisoning, especially when preparing foods in large quantities.

Characteristic of Clorox Poisoning before and during COVID-19 Pandemic, Saudi Arabia, 2019-2020.

Purpose: Poisoning is one of the leading causes of morbidities and mortalities worldwide. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the use of detergents and disinfectants, both in health care and domestic settings. As Clorox is the most used for these purposes; it was expected that there would be changes in the characteristics of Clorox poisoning. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate characteristics of Clorox poisoning in Saudi Arabia during Covid-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period.&#x0D; Methodology: Through a record-based study; all Clorox poisoning cases reported to the ministry of health in 2019 (n=267) representing pre-pandemic and 2020 (n=198) representing during the pandemic periods were collected. The data were retrieved from the electronic database, and it was analyzed using SPSS version 26. Categorical variables are represented as frequency distribution.&#x0D; Finding: There was a decrease in the total number of reported Clorox poisoning cases from 267 pre-pandemic to 198 cases during the pandemic. Females were slightly more than males (55.7% vs 44.3%), and most of the cases were in the age groups (1-5 years) and (20-39 years) (27.3%). The overwhelming majority of the cases occurred at home) (96.3%), with a higher percentage during the pandemic than pre-pandemic (98.0% vs 95.1%), and few minorities occurred intentionally (9.3%). Most of the cases arrived the hospital in stable conditions, with few cases (17.0%) needed antidotes. The great majority of the cases recovered before discharge. The overall incidence of Clorox poisoning reached to 0.57/100,000 population during the pandemic, compared to 0.78/100,000 in the pre-pandemic.&#x0D; Conclusion: There was a decline in incidence of Clorox poisoning during the pandemic; with a relative increase in home incidents, with nausea and vomiting as most common symptoms and all cases recovered.&#x0D; Recommendation: It is highly recommended to plan for a health education messages about safe store and using of detergents and disinfectants.

Burden of carbon monoxide poisoning in China, 1990-2019: A systematic analysis of data from the global burden of disease study 2019.

BackgroundCarbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the most common toxic occupational diseases, but related data in China are scarce. A better understanding of the burden of CO poisoning is essential for improving its management.MethodsA systematic analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 was conducted. Following the general analytical strategy used in the GBD Study 2019, the sex- and age-specific incidence and mortality rates of CO poisoning and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to CO poisoning in China were analyzed. Estimated average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) in age-standardized rates were calculated by joinpoint regression analysis. The effects of age, period and cohort on the incidence of CO poisoning and DALYs due to CO poisoning were estimated by an age-period-cohort model.ResultsThe age-standardized incidence and mortality rates as well as DALYs of CO poisoning per 100,000 population were estimated to be 21.82 [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 15.05–29.98], 0.93 (95% UI: 0.63–1.11), and 40.92 (95% UI: 28.43–47.85), respectively, in 2019. From 1990 to 2019, the AAPCs in the age-standardized incidence significantly increased in both males and females, while the age-standardized mortality rates and DALYs significantly decreased in both males and females. The incidence of CO poisoning peaked in individuals aged 15–19 years. Males had a higher burden of CO poisoning than females. The age effect showed that the relative risks (RRs) of incident CO poisoning decreased with age among males and females and that individuals aged 15–24 years had the highest RRs. The RRs of incident CO poisoning increased with time. The cohort effect showed that the incidence increased in successive birth cohorts.ConclusionsThe incidence of CO poisoning in China increased from 1990 to 2019. More attention should be given to improving the burden of CO poisoning in Chinese adolescents. The results of this study can be used by health authorities to inform preventative measures to reduce the burden of CO poisoning.

Incidence and Predictors of Cannabis-Related Poisoning and Mental and Behavioral Disorders among Patients with Medical Cannabis Authorization: A Cohort Study

Objective As medical cannabis use increases in North America, establishing its safety profile is a priority. The objective of this study was to assess rates of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations due to poisoning by cannabis, and cannabis-related mental health disorders among medically authorized cannabis patients in Ontario, Canada, between 2014 and 2017. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who received medical cannabis authorization in Ontario, Canada, using data collected in participating cannabis clinics. Outcomes included ED visit/hospitalization with a main diagnosis code for: cannabis/cannabinoid poisoning; and mental/behavioral disorders due to cannabis use. Cox proportional hazard regressions were utilized to analyze the data. Results From 29,153 patients who received medical authorization, 23,091 satisfied the inclusion criteria. During a median follow-up of 240 days, 14 patients visited the ED or were hospitalized for cannabis poisoning—with an incidence rate of 8.06 per 10,000 person-years (95% CI: 4.8–13.6). A total of 26 patients visited the ED or were hospitalized for mental and behavioral disorders due to cannabis use—with an incidence rate of 15.0 per 10,000 person-years (95% CI: 10.2–22.0). Predictors of cannabis-related mental and behavioral disorders include prior substance use disorders, other mental disorders, age, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Conclusions The results suggest that the incidence of cannabis poisoning or cannabis-related mental and behavioral disorders was low among patients who were authorized to use cannabis for medical care. Identified predictors can help to target patients with potential risk of the studied outcomes.

MAGNITUDE OF CLINICAL PROBLEM AND CLINICAL PROFILE OF POISONING IN PEDIATRICS

Background: Children are inquisitive and explore their world with all their senses. Poisoning patterns change according to age group, the nature and dose of the poison, type of exposure. This study is aimed at understanding the incidence, aetiology and manner of poisoning, outcome among children less than 18 years admitted to Paediatric department. Methods: Prospectively, 38 poisoning cases admitted to Paediatric intensive care, from August 2021 to May 2022 were included in this study. The age and sex of the patient, poisoning agent, manner of poisoning, duration of hospital stay and outcome of all the patients were recorded and analyzed. Results: Out of 38, 22 (58%) are males, 16 (42%) are females. 13 (34%) cases are &lt;5years of age, 2(5%) cases are between 5-10 year, 23 (61%) cases are above 10 years. Among all, 13 (34%) cases of drugs consumption, among these 11 cases were above 10 years representing purposeful consumption. 5 (13%) cases of kerosene consumption. Out 4 (11%) cases of Organophosphorous poison, 3 cases are above 10 years representing purposeful consumption. 4 (10%) cases of acid consumption. 4 (11%) cases of aluminium phosphide poisoning. 3 (8%) cases of Good night oil consumption. 2 (5%)cases of eucalyptus oil consumption. 3(8%) cases of camphor poisoning. 2 (5%) cases died due to aluminium phosphide poisoning. Duration of hospital stay varied from 1 day to 6 days. Conclusions: Accidental poisoning is common in children below 5 years of age. Suicidal poison incidence is increasing among teenagers. Accidental poisoning can be reduced by simple measures like parental education, replacing the poisoning agent with one of lower toxicity, legislation regarding the child resistant packaging of necessary poisons. Keywords: Camphor, Drugs, Eucalyptus oil, Poisons

Heavy metals in Lake Yanaka, Japan, an artificial retarding basin established for remediation of heavy metals contamination in the Watarase River

BackgroundThe Watarase Retarding Basin (WRB) involving Lake Yanaka was established for the sedimentation of the heavy metals contaminating the Watarase River in 1989. The Ashio Copper Mine poisoning (ACMP) incident that occurred from the late 19th century to the 1970s caused serious heavy metal contaminations along the Watarase River. Since stopping the mining activity in 1973, the heavy metal concentration in the water of the Watarase River significantly decreased. MethodsTo see the status of the heavy metal contaminations in Lake Yanaka, water, sediments, and Japanese river snails (marutanishi) were analyzed by using ICP-MS. ResultsThe concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the waters exhibited a good correlation (r>0.96) with the concentration of those in the sediments. The concentration of As, Cd, and Pb in the water was under the Standards for Protecting Human Health in Japan (<10 µg/L, respectively). Whereas heavy metal concentrations in sediments of Lake Yanaka were not decreased and remained in the same range as those of the Watarase River reported in 1984. The concentrations of As and Zn in the sediments of Lake Yanaka were beyond the regulation standards (<15 mg/kg for As and <120 mg/kg for Zn). Heavy metals were highly concentrated in the shells, intestinal organs, and muscles of marutanishi snails. The bioconcentration of the heavy metals comparatively reflected the concentration in the sediments rather than those in the waters. In particular, the concentration of the heavy metals in the shells exhibited a good correlation (r>0.98) with those in the sediments. Heavy metals were more concentrated in the internal organs than shells and muscles. ConclusionSince the institution of Lake Yanaka in 1989, the water and sediments of Lake Yanaka were newly brought from the Watarase River. Although heavy metal concentrations in the sediment did not change, those in the water decreased. The function for precipitating heavy metals of WRB seems to work and Lake Yanaka works as a reservoir of over-flowed water and sediment, which include heavy metals, of WRB. This study reminded us it would take a long term to remediate the environment from heavy metal pollution.

A 12-year retrospective review of tetrodotoxin poisoning in Hong Kong

Introduction: Tetrodotoxin poisoning is typically caused by puffer fish consumption. This study is to review its demographics, clinical presentations and management in Hong Kong. Method: Reported cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning to Hong Kong Poison Information Centre from October 2008 to March 2021 were included in the study. Information from electronic database was analysed. Results: Forty-two cases were included in this case series. The number of incidents of tetrodotoxin poisoning ranged from 0 to 5 per year, mostly in the winter months. Median ingestion-to-symptom and ingestion-to-door time was 2 and 6.5 h, respectively. 48% of puffer fish meal sharer was symptomatic and attended emergency department. 100% and 48% of all cases had neurological and cardiovascular/gastrointestinal symptoms, respectively. Fukuda and Tani clinical Grade 1 and 2 were the most common presentation. 17% required intensive care while most patients were managed safely in emergency department and/or emergency medicine ward. Conclusion: There are recurrent incidents of tetrodotoxin poisoning in Hong Kong. Public education is the key to prevent future outbreaks. Targeted history and enhanced availability of tetrodotoxin test would assist in its diagnoses.

Literature Review on the Type of Fish and Histamine-producing Bacteria Associated with Histamine Poisonings in Japan

Histamine poisoning has been reported worldwide. Improvements in refrigeration technology have led to a reduction in this food poisoning; however, it continues to occur. Misdiagnosis of fish allergies has compounded this problem and the number of patients subjected to histamine poisoning that are transported to the emergency ward because of anaphylactic shock-like symptoms should not be underestimated. We investigated incidents of histamine food poisoning in Japan from 1998 to 2020, and found that there were a mean 9.7 incidents/year and 195.3 cases/year. Facility-wise occurrence of the incidents per year was the highest in restaurants followed by lunch facilities, and these together accounted for approximately 70% of the incidents. Facility-wise total number of cases was the highest in lunch facilities followed by restaurants, and these together accounted for 80% of the cases. Fish associated with histamine poisoning were mainly tuna, marlin, and mackerel. Based on the current literature review, 23 genera of histamine-producing bacteria were isolated from fish purchased in Japan. The most frequently reported bacteria were Morganella morganii and Photobacterium damselae. Psychrophilic bacteria such as Morganella psychrotolerans and Photobacterium phosphoreum were also isolated. To prevent histamine poisoning, freezing or fast handling of fish and the products during processing and consuming is important because only refrigeration of fish is enough.

Management of Toxicological Emergencies in the School Setting: An Overview for School Nurses Part 3.

School nurses may encounter a variety of poisoning and overdose scenarios in the school setting. Younger students are more likely to experience unintentional exposures that are usually lower in toxicity, with the risk for harm increasing with age for reasons including substance abuse, self-harm, and exposure to more toxic ingestants. Poison Control Centers are uniquely qualified to assist public and health professionals, including school nurses, with poisoning and overdose incidents and are available 24 hours per day. This article is Part 3 of a series of three articles and focuses on poisonings related to environmental hazards that may be found in the school setting. Information includes expected clinical effects, potential for serious injury, and a reasonable approach to manage exposures for the following substances of potential harm: disinfectants and cleaners, lab accidents and other hazardous material incidents, poisonous mushrooms, and plants differentiating between poisonous, minimally toxic, and nontoxic plants.

Management of Toxicological Emergencies in the School Setting: An Overview for School Nurses Part 2.

School nurses may encounter a variety of poisoning and overdose scenarios in the school setting. Youth have an increased risk for harm due to factors associated with substance use, self-harm, and exposure to more toxic ingestants. Poison Control Centers are uniquely qualified to assist the public and health professionals, including school nurses, with poisoning and overdose incidents and are available 24 hours per day. This article is Part 2 of a series of three articles and focuses on poisonings related to substances of abuse and addiction or as a result of social media challenges. Information includes expected clinical effects, potential for serious injury, and a reasonable approach to manage these exposures for the following substances of potential harm: alcohol, caffeine, dextromethorphan, inhalants, marijuana, tobacco, and nicotine replacement therapy. Part 3 of the series will discuss potential environmental hazards specific to the school setting.

Molluscicide toxicosis in dogs

Slug and snails are important garden pests and intermediate hosts of lungworm, and various products are available for their control. Metaldehyde has long been used in molluscicide products and poisoning in dogs is common, having rapid-onset and prolonged seizure activity. However, these products are to be banned for outdoor use in the UK in spring 2022. This should eventually reduce the incidence of metaldehyde poisoning in pets. Methiocarb, a carbamate pesticide, was also used in slug baits but was banned in 2015. Cases still occasionally occur, characterised by rapid-onset gastrointestinal, respiratory and neurological signs. Ferric phosphate is now commonly found in slug and snail control products. Ingestion generally causes gastrointestinal signs only, because the iron in ferric phosphate has low oral bioavailability. Pets may also be exposed to slug deterrent products, which often contain diatomaceous earth or wool pellets. These generally have low toxicity for dogs. However, diatomaceous earth can cause skin irritation or severe respiratory signs if inhaled, and wool pellets may cause gastrointestinal signs. Management of dogs with mollusicide toxicosis is supportive, based on clinical signs.

Tobacco and alcohol as factors for male infertility-a public health approach.

The study of reproductive characteristics of 430 male subjects of different age, fertility status and educational level who were involved in the program of extracorporeal fertilization at the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Clinical Centre Niš, examined their knowledge, attitudes and behavior regarding tobacco and alcohol consumption as lifestyle risk predictors of their partial or full infertility. Consisted of the analyses of spermiograms to establish their fertility status and a survey of their attitudes towards smoking and alcohol use (behavior, knowledge of the general health and reproductive health consequences of such a lifestyle, and their determination to change it). The proportion with higher tobacco consumption and more severe forms of infertility increased significantly with ageing (P<0.001); the highest daily consumption of alcohol and the incidence of intoxication was seen among azoospermic patients; the level of awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco was highest among normozoospermic subjects and the highest level of determination to quit smoking was statistically significantly present among azoospermic subjects. Appropriate use of health promotion activities in relation to alcohol and tobacco use is through specially designed programs.

Management of Toxicological Emergencies in the School Setting: Part 1 An Overview for School Nurses.

School nurses may encounter a variety of poisoning and overdose scenarios in the school setting. Younger students are more likely to experience unintentional exposures that are usually lower in toxicity, with the risk for harm increasing with age for reasons including substance abuse, self-harm, and exposure to more toxic ingestants. Poison control centers (PCC) are uniquely qualified to assist the public and health professionals, including school nurses, with poisoning and overdose incidents and are available 24 hours per day. This article is Part 1 of a series of three articles and introduces the management of toxicological emergencies in the school setting. In addition, this article provides information including expected clinical effects, potential for serious injury, and a reasonable approach to manage exposures for the following objects and substances of potential harm: button batteries, emergency medications, first aid products, magnets, nontoxic (inedible) products, and therapeutic error. Parts 2 and 3 of the series will continue the discussion focusing on substances of abuse and addiction, social media challenges, and environmental hazards.

Poisoning Associated with Consumption of a Homemade Medicinal Liquor - Chongqing, China, 2018.

On May 3, 2018, Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CQCDC) received a report of 15 persons with numbness of the tongue or limbs and vomiting of unknown etiology; all ill persons had attended an adult birthday luncheon in Bishan District, Chongqing municipality, in southwest China. Initial reports indicated that one person had died. Within 2 hours, CQCDC and Western Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program staff members launched an investigation that included identification of cases, laboratory testing of drinks, and patient interviews to identify the cause of what appeared to be a poisoning. Among the 15 cases, five persons died. The investigation of this apparent mass intoxication implicated a homemade alcoholic beverage produced from a highly toxic flowering plant in the genus Aconitum used in traditional Chinese medicine. Although the risk of aconite toxicity is known, approximately 5,000 cases of aconite poisoning incidents were reported in China, Germany, Japan, and other countries during 1993-2005; most cases of fatal poisoning occurred in China (1). This event highlights the importance of enforcing and complying with existing regulations regarding sale and purchase of Aconitum species (also known as wolfbane), and of dissemination of critical public health messages.

Exploring the role of perceived risk and habit in safe food-handling behaviour change

The incidence of food poisoning remains high in Australia, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia. A recent safe food-handling media campaign was piloted in Busselton, Western Australia, and was found to lead to improvements in half of the safe food-handling behaviours targeted; however, safe food-handling knowledge did not increase. Consequently, the mechanisms underlying this behaviour change remain unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the mechanisms of behaviour change observed as a result of the pilot safe food-handling media campaign. Data from 117 participants who indicated whether or not they recalled the media campaign advertisements were analysed. Measures of perceived risk related to safe food-handling, safe food-handling habit, and safe food-handling behaviour were collected prior to and following the pilot safe food-handling media campaign. Mediation analyses were conducted to determine if the media campaign advertisements predicted change in behaviour via change in perceived risk and habit. Results indicated that perceived risk and habit play an important role in safe food-handling behaviour change. These findings have implications for content development of future public health messages related to safe food-handling. • Change in perceived risk and habit directly predicted change in all behaviours. • Media campaign recall directly predicted change in habit for one behaviour. • Media campaign recall did not directly predict change in perceived risk. • Media campaign recall did not directly predict change in behaviour. • No mediation effects were found for change in perceived risk and habit.